While I applaud PM Najib's courage in announcing Malaysia’s broadest political reforms since independence in 1957 "to accommodate and realise a mature, modern and functioning democracy; to preserve public order, enhance civil liberty and maintain racial harmony", I cannot help but read between the lines of his promises for political reform. Most sincerely, I hope that our PM will ensure that he will see these new reforms come to pass and not to capitulate when right-wing pressure groups such as UMNO and Perkasa voice their objections.
Undoubtedly, the next GE is imminent as can be seen in the many populist moves taken by the PM such as:
Note that the above changes would have to be tabled in Parliament.
Earlier, the PM had also announced (despite our RM362billion debt) :
One must question:
1. Could the new laws that will replace the Internal Security Act be used against political targets in the same way as how the ISA was used previously?
2. If indeed Malaysia practises democracy and upholds freedom of the press/expression/assembly and all the pillars of democracy, there should not be the need for a media license in the first place.Read this excellent discussion.
3. Bear in mind that one of the government's most powerful tools is the sedition laws which has been used to silence critics as it "criminalises speech with "seditious tendency", including that which would "bring into hatred or contempt or to excite disaffection against" the government or engender "feelings of ill-will and hostility between different races" (Source: Wikipedia).
In this post, I discussed Mat Sabu's sleight of hand to deflect interest in the DUMC and Sodomy issues by throwing a red herring in BN's path.
Subsequently, the whole nation went on a warpath to debate historical issues. I had never seen such an outburst of 'historical knowledge and yours truly also joined the bandwagon HERE, Malaysia - Part 1, Malaysia - Part 2 and Malaysia - Part 3.
And then the announcement last night. Perfect timing! Currently, our PM Najib has the option of holding snap polls to cut his losses or to delay elections to give him time to gain ground for a bigger win.
Elections could be round the corner!
1. A series of 14 “premier” briefing sessions to explain current issues to Umno branch and divisional committee members in every state to prepare party members for the next general election, said bureau chairman Datuk Ahmad Maslan in a Bernama statement. Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak launched the sessions in Kuala Lumpur on July 10 and the initiative will conclude in Sabah and Sarawak on October 3.
2. A snap polls would throw the PR off balance as they are not that cohesive or as organized as a coalition for many reasons. Funds, resources and manpower too are lacking therefore a snap polls would mean the opposition has little time to prepare themselves.
So far, the Opposition has been working hard to register new voters and in monitoring electoral registers to detect any form of vote-rigging by the BN. The PR claims to have discovered tens of thousands of "phantom" voters. Read this report on Nazri's reaction.
3. A snap polls would also throw PR off balance because till today, component parties have yet to announce contingency plans if DSAI is found guilty of sodomising a former aide in an ongoing court case. What guarantee can they give to the rakyat that they have the leadership abilities to govern Malaysia? This is one critical issue that PR needs to resolve NOW before it is used to dent their image in the next elections.
4. Many financial analysts have argued that the world is heading for global recession so it is likely that the PM could opt for a snap polls BEFORE our country's economic growth takes a sharp dive in tandem with global trends.
5. An early polls is likely because PR is still experiencing teething problems and have yet to build on its strong victory in the Sarawak state election. Read differing views HERE, HERE and HERE.
6. If indeed an early polls is called and BN clinches a convincing victory, the status quo would have the mandate to execute its government and economic policy and implement delayed reforms such as the introduction of GST and accelerating subsidy cuts.
However, if either side wins with a weak margin, this could also lead to economic and political uncertainty. :-(
The next elections could also be deferred
1. The grapevine indicates that dissent exists within the ranks of UMNO and this may be the destabilizing factor which could make our PM defer the next GE. Recent developments have shown how they exploit his weaknesses such as in the handling of Bersih 2.0. Some quarters are reportedly unhappy over his apparent inertia in executing the various objectives/programmes stipulated in the Government Transformation Programme (GTP) and the Economic Transformation Programme (ETP), most of which are in PR-controlled states.
2. With the amount of $$, time and resources spent on the GTP and ETP programmes, it is logical that the PM might hold the polls later so that he could gain brownie points from positive results. Realistically, these statistics may only materialize in 2012. A possible date for a poll might be shortly after the presentation of the budget in October, as the budget could contain a variety of populist spending initiatives.
3. If the polls are held later, BN has more time to woo the support of the nons which has been ailing since before the last GE.
4. A later GE could see the opposition falling apart because of internal squabbles over seats and territorial control and the absence of a next-in-line should DSAI be jailed for Sodomy II.
Note that the above hypothetical statements are not exhaustive as there could be other possibilities/factors which we have to consider.
The bottom line is this - we have to read in between the lines of the PM's speech. It is clear that it was a brilliant move to regain the middle ground of Malaysian politics which was lost to the opposition. And an even brilliant public relations strategy to have announced this on the eve of Malaysia Day so that the news will be published on Malaysia Day all over the world- instant brownie points, recognition, applause, a feel good euphoria for all on a very important day!
If these reforms are passed, the Opposition can no longer raise such issues in their campaign speeches to lobby for support in the next GE. What many may forget is that these proposed reforms must be debated in parliament and it will take some time before these come to pass IF they are approved. Even without that, the mere announcement of these reforms has enabled BN to gain mileage in the next GE. A brilliant tactical move!
One thing is for sure - everyone of us must get our act together and be ready for the next elections. Let us be focused and not be distracted by subtle deflections or succumb to the psy war that is going on.
What can you do? Volunteer! Donate! Lobby! Talk to your friends and family. Send emails/articles that can help people to make up their minds! Read more. Collect evidence that demands a verdict. Pass on the message!
CHANGE IS IMPERATIVE and regardless of whatever improvements, there has to be aCONVINCING victory to bring about this change so that we can avert any frog-hopping issues like in the Perak debacle should PR win. It is all up to us to MAKE THAT CHANGE HAPPEN!
Undoubtedly, the next GE is imminent as can be seen in the many populist moves taken by the PM such as:
- The repeal of the Internal Security Act (ISA) 1960
- The enactment of two new laws to safeguard peace and order
- The reduction of the detention period which can only be extended by the courts, except in cases involving terrorism.
- The lifting of three remaining emergency proclamations - Emergency 1969, Emergency 1966 (Sarawak) and Emergency 1977 (Kelantan).
- The repeal of the Banishment Act 1959
- The replacement of the annual licence renewal requirement for newspapers and publications by a one-off permit by reviewing the Printing Presses and Publications Act 1984.
- The review of the Restricted Residence Act 1933.
- The move to allow greater freedom to assemble by reviewing Section 27 of the Police Act 1967 taking into consideration Article 10 of the Federal Constitution which guarantees every citizen with the right to freedom of speech and assembly
Note that the above changes would have to be tabled in Parliament.
Earlier, the PM had also announced (despite our RM362billion debt) :
- Bonus payments for civil servants despite our deficit
- A cash payout for farmers
- Affordable housing for low-income earners
- and other favourable statements to hike his popularity ratings.
- the removal of subsidies leading to the rising cost of living
- the announcement that the GST is likely to be introduced after the next GE
- the slow pace of political and electoral reforms, especially after Bersih 2.0
- Bersih 2.0
- the widening religious discontent starting from the 'Allah' controversy, the cow-head episodes, church burning, DUMC incident
- debate over what is or what is NOT historical facts
- corruption issues
- the PKFZ scandal
- the TBH case and Ahmad Sarbani
- death in custody issues/cases including Kugan's death and many others
- the recent Air Asia-MAS swap deal, imposition of new charges etc
- the ETP issues
- many $$$ issues that have dented the image of the government including the Scorpene submarines, RM 6billion patrol boats, 100 storey Warisan Merdeka, Save Malaysia Stop Lynas issue, Ng Yen Yen's RM1.8 million social media campaign or her RM3.25 million expenditure on overseas trips
- and many other reports which have outraged the rakyat
One must question:
1. Could the new laws that will replace the Internal Security Act be used against political targets in the same way as how the ISA was used previously?
2. If indeed Malaysia practises democracy and upholds freedom of the press/expression/assembly and all the pillars of democracy, there should not be the need for a media license in the first place.Read this excellent discussion.
3. Bear in mind that one of the government's most powerful tools is the sedition laws which has been used to silence critics as it "criminalises speech with "seditious tendency", including that which would "bring into hatred or contempt or to excite disaffection against" the government or engender "feelings of ill-will and hostility between different races" (Source: Wikipedia).
In this post, I discussed Mat Sabu's sleight of hand to deflect interest in the DUMC and Sodomy issues by throwing a red herring in BN's path.
Subsequently, the whole nation went on a warpath to debate historical issues. I had never seen such an outburst of 'historical knowledge and yours truly also joined the bandwagon HERE, Malaysia - Part 1, Malaysia - Part 2 and Malaysia - Part 3.
And then the announcement last night. Perfect timing! Currently, our PM Najib has the option of holding snap polls to cut his losses or to delay elections to give him time to gain ground for a bigger win.
Elections could be round the corner!
1. A series of 14 “premier” briefing sessions to explain current issues to Umno branch and divisional committee members in every state to prepare party members for the next general election, said bureau chairman Datuk Ahmad Maslan in a Bernama statement. Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak launched the sessions in Kuala Lumpur on July 10 and the initiative will conclude in Sabah and Sarawak on October 3.
2. A snap polls would throw the PR off balance as they are not that cohesive or as organized as a coalition for many reasons. Funds, resources and manpower too are lacking therefore a snap polls would mean the opposition has little time to prepare themselves.
So far, the Opposition has been working hard to register new voters and in monitoring electoral registers to detect any form of vote-rigging by the BN. The PR claims to have discovered tens of thousands of "phantom" voters. Read this report on Nazri's reaction.
3. A snap polls would also throw PR off balance because till today, component parties have yet to announce contingency plans if DSAI is found guilty of sodomising a former aide in an ongoing court case. What guarantee can they give to the rakyat that they have the leadership abilities to govern Malaysia? This is one critical issue that PR needs to resolve NOW before it is used to dent their image in the next elections.
4. Many financial analysts have argued that the world is heading for global recession so it is likely that the PM could opt for a snap polls BEFORE our country's economic growth takes a sharp dive in tandem with global trends.
5. An early polls is likely because PR is still experiencing teething problems and have yet to build on its strong victory in the Sarawak state election. Read differing views HERE, HERE and HERE.
6. If indeed an early polls is called and BN clinches a convincing victory, the status quo would have the mandate to execute its government and economic policy and implement delayed reforms such as the introduction of GST and accelerating subsidy cuts.
However, if either side wins with a weak margin, this could also lead to economic and political uncertainty. :-(
The next elections could also be deferred
1. The grapevine indicates that dissent exists within the ranks of UMNO and this may be the destabilizing factor which could make our PM defer the next GE. Recent developments have shown how they exploit his weaknesses such as in the handling of Bersih 2.0. Some quarters are reportedly unhappy over his apparent inertia in executing the various objectives/programmes stipulated in the Government Transformation Programme (GTP) and the Economic Transformation Programme (ETP), most of which are in PR-controlled states.
2. With the amount of $$, time and resources spent on the GTP and ETP programmes, it is logical that the PM might hold the polls later so that he could gain brownie points from positive results. Realistically, these statistics may only materialize in 2012. A possible date for a poll might be shortly after the presentation of the budget in October, as the budget could contain a variety of populist spending initiatives.
3. If the polls are held later, BN has more time to woo the support of the nons which has been ailing since before the last GE.
4. A later GE could see the opposition falling apart because of internal squabbles over seats and territorial control and the absence of a next-in-line should DSAI be jailed for Sodomy II.
Note that the above hypothetical statements are not exhaustive as there could be other possibilities/factors which we have to consider.
The bottom line is this - we have to read in between the lines of the PM's speech. It is clear that it was a brilliant move to regain the middle ground of Malaysian politics which was lost to the opposition. And an even brilliant public relations strategy to have announced this on the eve of Malaysia Day so that the news will be published on Malaysia Day all over the world- instant brownie points, recognition, applause, a feel good euphoria for all on a very important day!
If these reforms are passed, the Opposition can no longer raise such issues in their campaign speeches to lobby for support in the next GE. What many may forget is that these proposed reforms must be debated in parliament and it will take some time before these come to pass IF they are approved. Even without that, the mere announcement of these reforms has enabled BN to gain mileage in the next GE. A brilliant tactical move!
One thing is for sure - everyone of us must get our act together and be ready for the next elections. Let us be focused and not be distracted by subtle deflections or succumb to the psy war that is going on.
What can you do? Volunteer! Donate! Lobby! Talk to your friends and family. Send emails/articles that can help people to make up their minds! Read more. Collect evidence that demands a verdict. Pass on the message!
CHANGE IS IMPERATIVE and regardless of whatever improvements, there has to be aCONVINCING victory to bring about this change so that we can avert any frog-hopping issues like in the Perak debacle should PR win. It is all up to us to MAKE THAT CHANGE HAPPEN!
-masterwordsmith
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